Osun refutes $50,000 visa scandal story

The Osun State Government has denied a report published in the Leadership Weekend of November 3, which alleged that a certain Southwest state, in collaboration with some staff of the Ukrainian Embassy and an unnamed tertiary institution, were involved in a $50,000 visa scandal.

In a statement by Yinka Muyinwa Chambers on its behalf, the state government said it did not pay $50,000 to any Ukrainian Embassy official to procure visa for students or its officials.

It described the publication as a deliberate attempt to strain the cordial relationship between Osun State and Ukraine.

The statement reads: “Having studied the story, we believe there was no other state in the Southwest that the publication was referring to, other than Osun, which has a cordial relationship with the Government of Ukraine, through an exchange programme in education and other areas.

“It is based on this understanding that the government sends medical students to Ukraine to further their studies. The story is unsubstantiated and has no basis in the ethics of noble journalism, which demands proper and balanced story before going to the press.

“We hereby state that the alleged $50,000 bribery scandal is false and lacks substance. We regret any inconvenience and embarrassment the report might have caused the Ukrainian Embassy.

“The Osun State Government is studying the remedies available to her under the law, without same having any effect on the future of the student concerned.”